Refugees
by Fira Wolf-Hunter
Summary: Sequel to "Maya". In this next installation of the series, Maya and the others will go through many changes as they try to hide their identities from both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. Maya will continue to try to get Zuko to see reason about this whole "capturing the Avatar" thing. And many sarcastic conversations will ensue. Rated M for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! Here's the first chapter of the next book! I hope you like it! - Fira**

* * *

_Refugees_

Sequel to _Maya_

_One_

Maya sat with Zuko on the ground, leaning against a wooden support beam that held up the roof of an Earth Kingdom spa. It had been three weeks since the incident at the North Pole. A few feet away, Uncle lay on a massage table, with two men standing over him, working out the kinks in his back. All around them was the sound of rushing water, as the spa was suspended above a massive waterfall. There were cherry blossoms everywhere, and a cool breeze blew through the open archways of the buildings.

"_Ahh_…"

Maya looked up at Uncle's sigh of content, and smiled. He looked so relaxed that she thought she might fall asleep just from watching him. It was a nice change from the hell they had all gone through over the past few weeks.

"This is what I've been missing," Uncle said. "Who knew floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water and sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver could make one so tense?" He looked over at Maya and Zuko, smiling.

Maya smiled back, but when Uncle frowned, she turned to look at Zuko. He had his head down, hiding his face beneath a large straw hat with a low brim. He was not happy.

Uncle came over to them and sat down. "I see," he said, voice now serious. "It's the anniversary, isn't it?"

"Three years ago today, I was banished," Zuko said. "I lost it all." He looked up, at nothing in particular, glaring into the distance. "I want it back. I want the Avatar. I want my honor. My throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless." At this, he turned his head away and down, closing his eyes, shoulders hunched.

"I'm sure he doesn't," Uncle said. "Why would he banish you if he didn't care?"

Maya face-palmed, shaking her head and trying not to laugh.

Zuko looked up briefly at the two of them, with an expression that said, "_You guys are irritating me_," and then got up and walked away.

Uncle turned to face Maya and said quietly, "Ehh, that came out wrong, didn't it?"

Maya snorted.

* * *

Later, after Maya had had her turn at the massage table, the three of them returned to their temporary home at the retreat. (Maya had asked Zuko if he wanted to get a massage, but he had just waved her off and grumbled to himself). Their "home" had been lent to them for no money by an old kindly lady who ran the place, on account of the fact that they had stumbled in two days earlier haggard and starving. Now, as the sun went down, they went inside to settle in for the night.

"Look at these magnificent shells!" Uncle exclaimed, as he placed a bag down on the table. He lifted one of them up to examine it. It was coral-colored, and fan-shaped. He put it down and picked up another one. This one was blue, and had obviously once been home to a crab, based on its tubular shape. "I'll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come."

"We don't need anymore useless _things_!" Zuko butted in. "You forget we have to carry everything _ourselves_ now."

"Hello, Brother. Uncle," said a voice from the corner of the room.

Maya jumped and spun around to see who it was. That voice… It was strangely _familiar._ As if from a dream. She saw a girl around Zuko's age sitting cross-legged in the chair at the back of the room. Her face was in shadow, but Maya could see her well enough. She was exceptionally beautiful, in an eerie sort of way, as though she were a porcelain doll. Her lips were too red, and her eyebrows were too perfect. Her eyes were golden, like Zuko's. That was how Maya figured out who it was.

_Azula_.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Zuko spat angrily, turning to face her.

Uncle also did not look happy to see her.

Maya figured she should be careful. From what Zuko had told her, Azula was apparently insane.

Azula picked up a shell from the table where Uncle had been displaying the ones he had collected. She examined it with a disinterested air. "In my country, we exchange a pleasant _hello_ before asking questions," she said. She uncrossed her legs and stood up, going over to them. "Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?"

"_Don't call me that_!" Zuko yelled.

"To what do we owe this honor?" Uncle asked, though his voice was anything but pleasant.

"Hmm," Azula said. "Must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the _point_." At the word _point_, she squeezed the shell in her hand, and it shattered and fell to the floor in pieces.

Maya swallowed. Her nails were like talons.

"And who is this?" Azula asked, stepping right up to Maya and smiling at her, eyes narrowed. "I don't believe we've met."

Zuko stepped in front of Maya, grabbing her wrist. "She's no one."

Maya sighed. She appreciated that Zuko cared enough to protect her, but she was tired of standing in the background all the time. Even if Azula _was_ crazy, she was going to risk it.

"What Zuko _means_ is that my name is Maya," she said, stepping around him and bowing to the girl. "I'm Zuko's girlfriend." From the corner of her eye, she could see Zuko and Uncle flinch. She didn't care. She would accept the consequences of her actions, whatever they might be.

Azula's eyes widened for a split-second, and then they returned to normal. She completely ignored Maya's respectful bow and turned to look at Zuko, who had his head in his hand. "Well, Zuzu, I'm impressed. I see _congratulations_ are in order. Though, I wonder… Have you strayed from your home country with this one? She seems… _different_ from other Fire Nation girls I've seen."

_That would be my mother's side coming through_, Maya thought to herself.

"Ah, no," Uncle butted in quickly. "She's definitely Fire Nation."

Maya shivered slightly as Azula's keen gave alighted on her again and gave her a once-over.

"Well, enough with the pleasantries," the girl said. "I've come with a message from home." She grabbed a strand of her hair and straightened it out. "Father has changed his mind. Family is suddenly _very_ important to him. He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him, treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can _really_ trust."

At that, she glanced briefly at Maya. Then she turned and looked out the window. Her whole demeanor changed. She seemed, somehow, less threatening suddenly. "Father regrets your banishment." Her voice was soft. She turned even further away, so that Maya could not see her face anymore. "He wants you home." She turned again to look at Zuko from the corner of her eye. She seemed to be looking for something.

Zuko did not change a bit. He still stood there, leaning forward slightly, looking at the ground. Maya glanced at Uncle. He seemed almost to be rolling his eyes. This whole situation was making Maya feel nervous. She kept waiting for Azula to blow something up, or do some other crazy thing.

"Did you _hear_ me?" Azula said, crossing her arms. "You should be happy. Excited." She sounded angry now.

Zuko turned and looked out the window. The setting sun had turned the cherry blossoms blood red.

"_Grateful_," Azula continued. Then she smiled. "I just gave you great news."

Uncle went towards her. "I'm sure your brother just needs some time –

"_Don't interrupt, Uncle!_" Azula shouted.

Maya jumped. _Crazy, indeed_, she thought.

Azula stepped towards the door. "I still haven't heard my _thank you_," she said, looking at Zuko, who was still turned towards the window. "I'm _not_ a messenger. I didn't _have_ to come all this way." Now she was the irritated little sister. Still, there were slight undertones of insanity in her voice, like she might suddenly snap and shoot flames at everyone in the room if someone looked at her wrong.

"Father regrets?" Zuko said quietly. It was the first thing he'd said in endless minutes. His eyes closed. He looked as if he were in turmoil. He opened his eyes again. "He… wants me _back_?"

Azula cocked her head to the side, and looked at him, eyes narrowing. "I can see you need time to take this in," she said, voice oh-so condescending. It sounded almost as if she was trying to be sincere, only she didn't know what _sincere_ was supposed to sound like, so it ended up coming out as condescending. "I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening." With that, she turned and strode toward the door.

Before she stepped out into the open, she turned and smiled at Maya. It was a creepy smile that did not reach her eyes. It reminded her of the smiles Admiral Zhao used to give her. "It was nice meeting you, Maya. If you decide to join us on our return journey, I _so_ look forward to getting to know you." And then she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! I hope you all enjoyed chapter one of _Refugees_ and I am excited to see a few new people reading the story. I do have to say, though, that if you are new to the story, please go back and read book one. Just click on my name and it will bring you to my page and click on _Maya_. Also, I have a list of names to read off. It'll be the same as before. I will give a list of all the people who have reviewed/followed/favorited my story out of thanks. Since this is a new book, I _will_ put names down even if they showed up in Book One. But after that, once your name has been put down, you will not be mentioned again. This does not mean that I appreciate you any less. Here goes. THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE: ****Artsfizz, ****awesomesauce1323, ****cmcm96, ****DarkLight2589, ****jamie0360, ****Joneskey, ****LuV Luv Dbz Peace, ****mysterygirl123, ****NotWellKnown, ****Peanut-Bata, ****pepper1988, ****SailorSedna052, ****Thughes13, ****valsanz, ****yori neko, and ****Yoshizawa Ayumu. Okay. Now that the thanks are out of the way, here's chapter two. Enjoy! - Fira**

* * *

_Two_

That night, Zuko was the only one who was excited about Azula's visit. Uncle and Maya were both extremely suspicious of the whole thing. However, Zuko was oblivious to their concerns. As he packed his belongings, he said, "We're going home! After three long years. It's unbelievable!"

Uncle, who had been standing looking out the window and stroking his beard, turned to look at his nephew. "It _is _unbelievable." He turned back to the window. "I have never known my brother to regret _anything_."

"Did you listen to Azula?" Zuko said, clearly not understanding Uncle's wariness. "Father's realized how important family is to him. He _cares_ about me!"

Maya saw Zuko's hands ball into fists. Now he was becoming defensive. She sighed.

"_I _care about you!" Uncle shouted, making Maya jump. He was not normally this emotional. He took a step towards Zuko. "And if Ozai wants you back – well… I think it may not be for the reasons you imagine."

Zuko turned away. "You don't know how my father feels about me!" He hunched his shoulders. "You don't know _anything_."

Uncle sighed, and calmed himself. "Zuko… I only meant that in our family, things are not always what they seem."

Suddenly, Zuko spun around and got very close to Uncle. "I think you are _exactly _what you seem! A lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who's always been jealous of his brother!" With that, he stormed outside, slamming the door behind him.

Maya gasped. Even though the words had not been directed at her, she felt as if Zuko had just slapped her. "_Zuko_!" she exclaimed, her blood boiling.

"No, Maya," Uncle said, holding up a hand to silence her. "Let him go."

Maya looked at him. He looked sad.

For a moment, she was about to listen to him, but then she became angry all over again and stomped off after Zuko. She found him right outside, standing beneath a cherry tree. "What do _you_ want?" he asked her, not even bothering to turn around.

"How _dare_ you talk to Uncle like that?" she said, very quietly, the venom clear in her voice.

Now he _did_ turn to face her. He was silent for a few moments, though it seemed like ages. The crickets chirped, and a slight breeze blew in the rift between them, rustling Maya's hair. She brushed it back, out of her face.

Finally, he spoke. "You know, for being my _girlfriend_, you're not very supportive."

"Maybe that's because nothing you ever do is something I would _want_ to support. Maybe if you start using your brain a little more, I'll start supporting you more. How does that sound?" The last statement she had spit out as condescendingly as possible.

He scoffed and turned away from her again. "Bitch."

Maya gave up at that point. Angrily, she marched up to him, smacked him in the back of the head, and stomped back inside.

"I don't think you should have done that," Uncle said, making her jump. She had not been aware of the fact that Uncle had been watching them the whole time.

She sighed. "He really shouldn't say things like that. And you know it."

"That is true. But I also do not think that you should smack people like that."

She gave a single, humorless laugh. "Probably not."

That was when Maya realized something, and her anger dissipated a little bit. "Uncle?"

"Hmm?"

"Am… Am I going with you tomorrow? Back to the Fire Nation? I mean, Azula said '_if I decided to join you on your return journey_', but, knowing Azula, that statement could have meant any number of things. It's not like I'm actually related to you guys. And even if she was serious, I don't have a clue what the Fire Lord would do to me if he found out that his son was dating a half Water Tribe girl. But, maybe that _is_ what Azula meant." Maya shivered.

Uncle sighed. "I don't know exactly what is going to happen tomorrow, but I do not trust Azula at all. If it were up to me, I would not be setting foot on that ship. But, since I know that Zuko is going to go no matter what I say, then tomorrow, I will be going with him. Whether or not you come with us is entirely up to you. You will most likely be putting your life in danger if you _do_ come, so that is something you should bear in mind."

"But if I don't come, I might never see you again," Maya said quietly.

"That is true."

"Also, like I said, I'm _not_ family. Azula said specifically that the Fire Lord said _family_ is important to him. I don't think he'd like it if some little peasant girl came snooping around."

"This is also a good point. Unfortunately, I cannot help you. You are going to have to figure out what to do on your own."

Maya sighed. "Thank you, Uncle. I'm going to go think about this."

Uncle nodded.

Maya went back outside and rounded the corner to be away from Zuko, who was still standing beneath the cherry tree. She went and sat down on a bench in a little Zen garden a ways from the house they were staying at. She put her head back, closed her eyes, and breathed in through her nose, enjoying the cool night air, and the scent of the cherry blossoms.

All was quiet for many minutes, and then, faintly, she heard footsteps approaching her. Without looking, she knew it was Zuko.

When he was close enough, he asked, "Why are you out here by yourself?"

"Because I can be," she said, keeping her eyes closed.

"Why did you smack me earlier?"

"Why do you think?"

"Ugh!" he exclaimed, clearly frustrated. "I'm going back inside!"

She heard the heel of his shoe twist in the gravel as he turned. "Wait," she said. She heard him stop. He did not say anything. She sighed and sat up, opening her eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?" he said, not looking at her.

"Do you want me to go with you tomorrow? On the ship?"

"I don't know," he replied. He sounded angry.

"Okay…" she began, thinking of how best to rephrase her question. "Pretend like earlier never happened. Pretend like you and I are back at the North Pole. Pretend like we're back to when you were warming me up with your _breath of fire._" She blushed as she said this.

Zuko turned slowly, and came and sat down on the bench. "Okay," he said. "I'm pretending. But I'm not happy about it."

She smiled. She was getting to him a little bit. "Now pretend like, right at that moment, you were somehow able to miraculously go home and have your throne back, and have your father love you, and all that. Right at that moment, right as you were warming me up, would you want me to go home with you?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Good."

"But!" Zuko said, and Maya groaned and put her head in her hands. "We're _not_ at the North Pole, and you _did_ yell at me earlier and smack me in the back of the head."

"Only because you made Uncle sad and called me a bitch."

"Only because Uncle was being completely unsupportive and paranoid and because you weren't backing me up."

"And Uncle was only being paranoid because Azula's completely _insane_ – in case you forgot!" Maya was becoming annoyed with him all over again.

"But what if she was telling the truth this time?" he said, standing up and facing her. "This could be my only chance! And if you don't wanna come with me tomorrow, then _fine_." He turned on his heel to leave.

Maya grabbed his wrist to hold him in place. He looked down at her over his shoulder angrily. She sighed and stood up. "I'll come with you, Zuko. If it's what you want."

"Is it what _you_ want?" he asked her, and his voice carried a gentleness she had not heard in a long time.

The question surprised her. She had not expected Zuko to look at this situation from her perspective. She actually had to think about the answer for a little while. Then, she said, "I don't know. On one hand, obviously I want to go with you. You're my boyfriend. If I didn't go with you back to the Fire Nation, then we couldn't be together. But on the other hand, I'm absolutely terrified of your sister, and I don't feel ashamed at all to admit that."

Suddenly he was hugging her. She was momentarily surprised, and just stood there with her arms at her sides. And then her surprise went away and she hugged him back.

Zuko chuckled. "Don't worry, Maya. If Azula tries anything with you, I'll put her in her place."

They remained like that, standing there beside the bench, embracing. "Does this mean it's settled, then?" she asked. "I'm going with you tomorrow?"

"Yes." He paused. "Sorry for calling you a bitch."

"Sorry for smacking you." Now _she_ paused. "You should really apologize to Uncle, you know."

"I know, Maya. I will."

She lifted her head and smiled at him. He smiled back, and leaned down, and kissed her. "Let's go inside now."

"Okay," she said, and followed him back to the house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! Here's chapter three, but before I get to that, I have more people to thank: ****Bumblebee's Honey, ****The Dark Lady55, ****xxfluffychickxx, ****xxfluffyxx123, and ****ZamoNero. Thank you guys so much for your support! Okay, here's the chapter. Enjoy! - Fira**

_Three_

The next morning, they all got up early. Uncle told them almost immediately that he did not plan on going with them. Maya was saddened by this. She was probably never going to see Uncle again. Zuko also seemed sad, though he didn't show it as much as she did. They all said their goodbyes. It was odd, Maya thought to herself. It seemed as though Uncle was almost shoving them out the door, even though the night before, he had not wanted them to go at all. Maya tried not to let his sudden attitude shift offend her. After a few minutes, she and Zuko were on their way down the long, winding staircase to the coastline.

Maya admired the beautiful red trees that lined the stairs on either side. They were odd-looking trees. She didn't think she'd ever seen them before. The whole staircase in itself was quite beautiful, carved straight from the whitish stone of the cliff it was set into. When they had gotten about halfway down the path, they heard a shout from behind.

"_Wait_!" It was Uncle's voice.

Maya and Zuko smiled at one another, and then turned to greet him.

"Don't leave without me," he said, as he caught up to them.

"Uncle," Zuko said, his face breaking out into an even bigger smile. "You've changed your mind."

"Family sticks together, right?" Uncle said, placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder. He smiled at Maya. "That means you, too."

Maya blushed, humbled.

"We're finally going home," Zuko said, and turned and began walking down the stairs again. He took Maya's hand and squeezed it for a moment, and then let it go again.

Maya turned and smiled up at Uncle, and was surprised to see him looking down at the ship with a scowl on his face. That was when she realized that he was still suspicious of Azula, and had decided to go with them to protect them from harm, should anything bad happen.

A few minutes later, they were down at the dock. That was when Maya got a bad feeling about the whole thing. In order to walk up to the ship, they had to go past twelve guards. The guards stood on either side of the dock, six on each side. They all wore helmets that completely covered their faces, and they all stood motionless, as if the suits of armor were empty decoration. It was very eerie.

Maya looked ahead of her, to avoid having to look at all the guards who seemed to be tracking her every movement, and saw Azula standing at the top of the gangplank. When they all stopped in front of it, she spread her hands wide, as if enveloping them from a distance. From what Maya could see, she seemed perfectly normal and genuine.

"Brother," she said. "Uncle. And – Maya, was it? Welcome." She bowed.

Maya and the others bowed back, as a sign of respect.

"I'm so glad you decided to come," Azula continued.

Maya could sense movement behind her, and opened her eyes. From her peripheral vision, she could see the guards closing in on them. She lifted up from her bow. Zuko looked over at her and flashed her a grin. She smiled back faintly, but she could sense that something was off. She could tell that Uncle was also on edge. He kept glancing around at the guards, as if expecting one of them to jump him suddenly.

"Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?" the lead guard asked, looking up at Azula.

She smiled down at him. "Set our course for _home_, Captain," she said.

"Home," Zuko repeated, and began walking up the gangplank.

Maya and Uncle followed behind him.

"You heard the princess!" the lead guard yelled to his men. "Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners home!"

Maya stopped short, as did the others. Her head snapped up to look at Azula. The girl looked absolutely _pissed_.

"Oh shit," Maya said, not realizing she had spoken aloud. She took a step back and bumped into Uncle.

"Your Highness," the lead guard said, voice trembling. "I –

But before he could finish, all hell broke loose. Uncle spun around and used his luggage bag to smack one of the guards into the water. Then he kicked the next one. After that, it was too hard to follow. Maya ran forward and kneed one guard in the groin, shoving him off the gangplank with her foot when he went down. She felt a hand on her shoulder and spun, karate chopping the man in the neck and grabbing him by his robes. He was bigger than she was, so she used her momentum and his body weight to swing him around and throw him into the water.

After that, there were no more guards surrounding her. Quickly, she realized she had lost Zuko. She looked up at the ship. He was walking up the gangplank toward Azula. He grabbed the guard who had gotten in his way and shoved him into the water. "You _lied_ to me!" he yelled, clearly speaking to Azula.

She was smiling one of her creepy smiles again. "Like I've never done _that_ before," she said, lifting a hand as if brushing him off. Then she turned, and walked away.

The two guards on either side of the top of the gangplank took her place and shot fireballs at Zuko at the exact same time. He used his firebending to push the flames aside, and then jumped and kicked them into the water, using one foot for each of them. In another second, he was in a ready stance atop the deck of the ship.

Maya didn't know what to do. There were more guards fighting Uncle, and she wanted to help him. But at the same time, she wanted to help Zuko. She shuddered. On second thought, she wasn't sure she wanted to have anything to do with Azula. With that, she turned and ran to Uncle, who was, at that moment, ducking under a fire blast. After the guard ran out of fire and lowered his foot, Uncle straightened up and sent a fireball at him, sending the man careening off the side of dock. Uncle grabbed another guard around his neck with his arm, momentarily rendering him defenseless.

"Zuko!" Uncle shouted. "_Let's go_!" Then he shoved the guard away from him. The last guard came forward and tried to rush Uncle, but Maya got in his way and threw her foot out in front of him. He lost his balance and she pushed him the rest of the way into the water.

Maya looked up to see what was taking Zuko so long. At the moment, he and Azula were having some sort of a standoff.

"You know," Azula said, "Father blames _Uncle_ for the loss at the North Pole, and he considers _you_ a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar!"

Maya could not see Azula's face, but she could imagine the smirk that was probably on her too-pink lips right at that moment.

"Why would he want_ you_ back home?" Azula continued. "Except to lock you up where you can no longer _embarrass _him?"

Maya flinched. She could not imagine the emotional pain Zuko must have been in right then.

Zuko let out a wordless shout of unspeakable rage and rushed at Azula, shooting flames at her from his feet.

_Oh_, thought Maya. _Maybe I _can_ imagine_.

Azula jumped back away from the flames, but was not quick enough to avoid Zuko in close combat. At some point, Maya guessed Zuko got too close to her for comfort because suddenly, there was a loud _thwack_ and he stumbled away for a moment. She had smacked him across the forehead. Even from the dock, Maya could see the mark over his right eye. He was bleeding.

After that, Zuko became increasingly more desperate to win in his fight with Azula, his moves becoming more sporadic and unbalanced. Azula fought him off easily, until, with a single roll of her wrist, she had Zuko's own wrist in her hand. They locked eyes. Everything was still for a moment, and then Azula shifted just barely, and Zuko bent himself backwards as she shot blue flame straight at where his face had been a second before.

_Blue flame!_ Maya thought. _That's impressive. And terrifying._

In Zuko's attempt to save himself, he had lost his balance and rolled head-over-heels down the ramp to the deck. Before Maya could stop him, Uncle was running as fast as he could over to Azula. Maya knew better than to say anything out loud, in case she made the Fire Princess aware of Uncle's presence. Instead, she watched from the dock as Zuko struggled to get up.

Suddenly, Maya gasped, understanding dawning in her mind. Azula was making strange movements with her arms, and her fingertips were beginning to spark. _So_, Maya thought. _You know how to create lightning… Great._

Just as Azula released the lightning, aiming it straight at Zuko, Uncle appeared in front of her, grabbing her hand in his own and directing his other hand towards the seaside cliff, where the lightning wouldn't harm anything. It shot from his fingers in a bright flash of light, ramming into the cliff and causing an avalanche to cascade into the water below.

Before Azula could start struggling, Uncle yanked her down by the hand he was holding, and then kicked her in the face so that she tumbled back into the ocean. Uncle grabbed Zuko and they ran back to the docks as quickly as they could. On their way past her, Zuko grabbed Maya's hand and yanked her along.

They ran for what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes, until they were a somewhat safe distance from Azula's ship. Here they collapsed, kneeling beside a pool of water that led out into the ocean. The red-leafed trees that Maya had so admired before surrounded them, and there was a nice breeze coming off the ocean. Despite their current circumstances, Maya thought it was a nice day.

Uncle and Zuko huffed and puffed beside the pool of water, still on their hands and knees. Maya knelt beside Zuko and placed a hand on his shoulder. Briefly, he touched her hand, and then he took a knife from inside of his robes. Maya saw that there was an inscription carved into the metal, but he moved it too fast for her to read. She watched him curiously, as did Uncle.

Zuko brought the knife to the back of his head, and held his ponytail in the other hand. In one clean swipe, he cut off the ponytail, and then handed the knife to Uncle. Uncle looked down at the knife for a moment, and then cut off his topknot. They both dropped the pieces of their hair into the stream, and watched silently as they drifted away on the current.

Then, they both stood and stared out at sea. Both of their faces wore expressions that were too sad for Maya to look upon. Quietly, she stepped away from the scene, and went and sat on the ground a few feet away. There she waited, until they had calmed their emotions enough to move on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! More people to thank! Thank you to: ****bubbahcakes, ****Master of all 118 Elements, and ****Midnight Starshine for following/favoriting me or my story! Okay. Here's chapter four. Enjoy! - Fira (P.S. - My readers are all awesome. You guys make my day.)**

_Four_

The next few days had been hell for the three of them. They'd spent their time trying to find anyone who would give them supplies. All they got were clothes, which Maya thought was sort of okay, because all the clothes were Earth Kingdom green, which meant they'd blend in more. But, other than that, they'd been completely on their own.

Now, here they were, deep within a forest, in a clearing. Despite the fact that they didn't have any food, Maya was actually pretty happy with their situation. It was beautiful here. Bright streams of sunlight came through the break in the trees, lighting up the foliage and making everything look green-gold. There were flowers everywhere, and great mossy boulders that looked as if they had been there since the beginning of time.

At the moment, Maya was sitting beside Uncle, who was staring at some sort of flower. It was odd, Maya thought, because the bush upon which the flower was sprouting from was all by itself in a part of the clearing where nothing else was growing except for a few patches of grass. It was a beautiful flower. Its white petals were long and wound back on themselves at the tips. The insides of the petals were streaked with a bright red, and the center was yellow. There were three more flowers growing from the bush, but only one was actually in bloom. The others were still closed and small.

It was then that Zuko decided to come back from his foraging expedition. With a few irritated grunts, he managed to push through the bush that was in his way and came tumbling out into the open, looking disheveled and angry. Maya stifled a giggle. Ever since Zuko had cut his hair, it had been growing out with a vengeance. Even within the last three days, it had grown long enough to cover his entire head. Maya liked him with hair. She thought it made him look more approachable and less like _I'm-going-to-murder-you-if-you-get-close-to-me_.

"I didn't find anything to eat," Zuko said, picking himself up after his fight with the bush. I can't live like this. I wasn't meant to be a fugitive. This is _impossible_!" He turned and kicked a rock, and then lifted his hands over his head dramatically. And then he seemed to realize that no one was paying him any attention, so he turned to look at Uncle and Maya. His face took on a look of confusion. "Uncle… What are you _doing_?"

As Zuko approached them, Uncle broke into a smile. "You're looking at the rare White Dragon Bush," he said, waving his hands around mysteriously. "Its leaves make a tea so delicious, it's _heartbreaking_." Here, he clasped his hands together and looked up at the sky like a little girl thinking about her crush.

Zuko raised his eyebrow skeptically.

Uncle seemed to come back to reality. He leaned down again to examine the flower more closely, putting his hand to his chin in thought. His brows furrowed. "That, or it's the White Jade Bush, which is poisonous."

"We need _food_, not _tea_," Zuko said. "I'm going fishing."

Uncle paid him no mind, still contemplating his flower dilemma. "Hmm," he murmured. "Delectable tea, or deadly poison?" He frowned hard in concentration.

Maya stood up. "Wait, Zuko!" she called to him. "I'm coming with you!" She did not feel like sticking around to see how this resolved itself.

Zuko, who was rapidly disappearing into the brush, raised a hand over his head in acknowledgement. "Fine. Hurry up!"

She grinned and ran after him.

* * *

Watching Zuko fish had to be one of the most entertaining things Maya had ever seen. It wasn't fair to think that, she knew, but it was still true. He was so impatient about it. When they'd gotten to a stream not far from camp, Zuko had taken a small branch off of one of the surrounding trees and sharpened it into a spear.

For the next two hours, she'd watched as his patience had slowly disappeared. She had some experience with fishing, and had at one point asked Zuko if he wanted help, but he'd predictably brushed her off, saying, "I don't need any help! I can do this _myself_!"

So, with a shrug, Maya had sat back against a boulder and watched. His technique was all wrong. First of all, he kept aiming straight at the fish, without taking water displacement into account, not to mention the fact that the fish scattered the second the water was disturbed. Maya had suggested little things to him. "Try aiming at the place where the fish is _going_ to be." Things like that.

He'd ignored her at first, too prideful to listen, but eventually he had settled down and tried things her way. It still hadn't really worked, and after two hours, Zuko had caught only one small fish, but even _that_ was enough for him. He had turned and grinned at her in a _look-what-I-did_ sort of way.

And so, they had returned to camp. Zuko told her on the way back that he was determined to try again the next day, but fate, it seemed, had other plans. When they arrived back at the clearing, Uncle was sitting right where they had left him, which immediately frightened Maya.

"Uncle?" Maya said, taking a step towards him.

"Zuko, Maya," Uncle replied, not facing them. "Remember that plant I thought might be tea?"

Zuko's eyes widened. "You _didn't_."

"I _did_," he said, turning to face them. "And it _wasn't_."

Maya jumped. Uncle's face was covered in a red rash. She saw that it was also on his arms and hands.

Uncle stood up and began scratching his back with a small branch he had been holding, and using his other hand to scratch at his stomach. "When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing." Without changing pace, he came forward with a smile on his face. "But look what I found!" he exclaimed, holding out the branch for Maya and Zuko to examine. There were clusters of red berries hanging off of it. "These are Pakui berries, known to cure the poison of the White Jade plant. That, or Makaole berries that cause blindness."

Zuko swiped the branch from Uncle's hand and flung it as far away as he could. "We're _not_ taking anymore chances with these _plants_!" he yelled. "We need to get help."

"But where are we going to go?" Uncle asked, still scratching himself like a madman. He got down on one knee to reach behind himself and scratch his ankle. "We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom, _and_ fugitives from the Fire Nation." He began scratching at his legs.

Watching him was making Maya itchy. Feeling a little paranoid, she backed away from him, thinking that maybe if she got too close that she was going to get the rash, too.

Zuko put his chin in his hand. "If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed."

"But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula."

All three of them looked at each other, flinching. Then they all simultaneously nodded.

"Earth Kingdom it is," Zuko said.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hey, guys. I'm sorry for the late update. I've had a serious case of writer's block and I'm running out of back-up chapters to give you. Right after I upload this, I plan on writing at least one more chapter. Now for the thank-you's. Thank you to the following people for reviewing/favoriting/following my story: ****Dark Husar, ****The Last Snowflake to Fall, ****RainyZ, ****RebornRose1992, ****Sassi15, ****Vampireknight1fan, ****WarriorServent, and ****yoohooha. You guys are awesome! Okay, here's the chapter. - Fira**

_Five_

An hour later, they all stood at the edge of a little Earth Kingdom town. All the buildings looked exactly the same. They all had white walls and brown roofs. There was a tree in the center of the town, and one or two merchant stalls. On the outskirts, there were a few farms. Beyond that, the town seemed a little sad. There wasn't even any grass anywhere. It was all just dirt.

"Well, come on," Maya said.

They all stepped onto the bridge into town and continued on their way.

A few minutes later, they found themselves inside the local healing room. A young girl, around Maya's age, immediately set to work on Uncle's rash. In the back of the room, there was a man lying on a table, receiving cupping therapy.

The girl who was tending to Uncle was wearing clothes that looked too big for her. Her brown hair was tied back in a braid. "You three must not be from around here," she said, smiling sympathetically at Uncle as she rubbed some sort of light green cream on the rash. "We know better than to touch the White Jade. Much less make it into tea and _drink_ it."

Uncle laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Oops," he said.

The girl moved away to rinse out the towel she was using, and Maya had to look down to avoid seeing how swelled Uncle's face was. He did not look very… _pretty_ at the moment. She and Zuko sat on a bench near the window. Zuko's head was hidden beneath one of those wide-brimmed straw hats again, the better to keep his identity a secret.

"So where are you traveling from?" the girl asked.

Zuko stood up. Maya could tell that he was feeling uncomfortable having to make up something to tell this girl. Not that the lying in itself bothered him. More just that if they were caught, then they would die. "Yes, we're travelers," he said.

"Do you have names?"

"_Names_?" he repeated. "O-of _course_ we have _names_. I'm…" He looked down momentarily, thinking. "Lee!" He looked up again, a relieved smile on his face. "And this is my Uncle, uhh…" He looked down again, and then up again. "_Mushi_!"

Uncle looked at Zuko from around the girl, clearly annoyed at his nephew's name choice. Then he looked at the girl and smiled. "Yes, my nephew was named for his father, so we just call him _Junior_."

Zuko flinched and drew a finger over his throat, as a sign for Uncle to stop with the names.

Maya, who was still sitting comfortably on the bench, snorted into her fist, trying to pass it off as a cough.

"Mushi and Junior, huh?" the girl asked, turning to look at Zuko. "My name is San." Then her eyes alighted on Maya. "What's _your_ name?" she asked, just as friendly as ever.

"Ming," Maya said automatically. She'd used the cover name before. It started with the same letter as her real name, which made it easy to remember.

"Well, then," she said. "You three look like you could use a good meal. Why don't you stay for dinner?" She turned and slapped Uncle's hands away from his body. He'd been scratching himself.

Zuko turned away and looked out the window. "Sorry, but we need to be moving on."

"That's too bad," the girl said. "My mom always makes too much roast duck."

Suddenly, Uncle leaned close to her and said, "Where do you live, _exactly_?"

Maya snorted again. Uncle and his big stomach.

* * *

That night, long after the sun had gone down, Maya and the others sat on cushions around San's dining table. Their house was nicely furnished and the lighting was cozy. The smell of roast duck was intoxicating, and when her plate was brought to her, she had to force herself to eat slowly and not be rude.

"My daughter tells me you are refugees," San's mother said as she sat down with her own plate of food. "We were once refugees ourselves."

"When I was a little girl," San began, "the Fire Nation raided our farming village. All the men were taken away. That was the last time I saw my father." She looked down, her face cast in shadow, eyes closed against the pain of the memory.

Maya looked at Zuko, wondering how he was taking this. Wondering how long he would be able to pretend that he wasn't from the Fire Nation. He looked to be in emotional turmoil in that moment. When she spoke the last few words, his eyes widened and he looked down and away. "I haven't seen my father in many years."

"Oh," San replied, sounding sympathetic. "Is he fighting in the war?"

Uncle slurped up a particular large mouthful of noodles and looked around the table awkwardly. Maya, who had seen this, stifled laughter. Somehow, Uncle always knew how to make situations less serious.

Zuko slowly put down his bowl of noodles. He did not speak for a moment. Then he turned away again and said, "Yeah."

* * *

Maya and Zuko sat on San's porch, cross-legged, side-by-side. The rest of the dinner had gone by silently, as if everyone was afraid to speak. Maya had breathed a sigh of relief when they had finished and had immediately asked to be excused. She'd found herself outside, sitting on the porch. A minute later, Zuko had come and sat beside her, silent as stone. They had remained in companionable silence for many long minutes, until San had stepped outside and joined them.

Now, here she was, sitting on Zuko's left, while Maya sat on his right. Maya tried not to let San's presence bother her. Couldn't she see that Zuko and she were having a moment together? Maya took a breath and let it out slowly.

"I know what you two have been through," San began. "We've _all_ been through it."

Maya could tell that the girl was speaking directly to Zuko, despite the fact that she had said _two_. San was now looking at him, pity in her eyes. "The Fire Nation has hurt you," she said quietly. Slowly, she lifted her hand up to Zuko's face, clearly attempting to touch his scar.

Maya tensed. This girl had no right. Zuko seemed to think so also because he grabbed her wrist and held it away from his face for a moment, and then let her go. He had not once looked at her yet, keeping his eyes locked firmly ahead of him. After he let go of her, quietly, he reached over and took Maya's hand, placing their entwined hands back in his lap.

Maya fought to keep the smile from her face, her tenseness dissipating.

"It's okay," San said. "They have hurt me, too." She put her foot down on the porch and pulled up the leg of her pants, revealing many burn scars that ran the length of right leg.

Maya and Zuko both looked for a moment. Maya felt foolish for being jealous of this girl. Clearly she was just trying to comfort Zuko, though it wasn't as though she hadn't seen _Maya's_ scars also. Perhaps she had realized that Maya was not as vulnerable as Zuko – that Maya had healed a little emotionally, and that Zuko's wounds were still raw. Whatever the case, Maya saw San in a different light after that.

* * *

Half an hour later, they all stood outside. Maya, Uncle, and Zuko were ready to leave. Maya wished they could stay the night, but Uncle told her quietly that it was rude to outlast her visit. She said no more on the matter. She knew Uncle was right.

There were fireflies out that night. Maya looked around in awe at their beauty as Uncle and San's mother talked.

"Thank you for the duck," Uncle said. "It was excellent."

"You're welcome," the old woman replied, smiling. "It brings me joy to see someone eat my cooking with such… _gusto_."

Maya snorted. She could tell the woman had had trouble coming up with a word that wasn't "slob" or "pig". Not that Maya thought Uncle was a pig – only that he tended to eat too fast and take bites that were too big.

Uncle smiled at the woman, taking a few packages of food that she had wrapped for them. He patted his stomach. "Much practice," he said, bowing.

Maya came forward. "Thank you," she said, also bowing.

The woman bowed back.

Zuko turned to walk away, but he had not thanked anyone yet, so Maya grabbed his wrist. He stopped in his tracks, still turned away.

"Junior!" Uncle admonished. "Where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people."

Zuko turned and gave a sloppy bow. "Thank you," he said, and then turned without looking at them, and walked away.

San chose that moment to speak. "I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world," she said. "But there _is_ hope. The Avatar has returned."

Zuko was silent for a moment. And then he said quietly, "I _know_." He opened the gate and Maya and Uncle followed him out. Zuko took a few steps, and then stopped, letting Uncle walk past him.

Maya stopped also, curious. "What is it?"

That caught Uncle's attention. He turned to look at Zuko.

The Fire Prince had spotted San's ostrich-horse, and was in the process of untying the lead from its post. Maya knew he was going to steal it. She sighed and opened her mouth to tell him to stop, but Uncle spoke first.

"What are you _doing_?" he whispered harshly. "These people just showed you great kindness."

Zuko stepped up into the saddle and walked the ostrich-horse toward Uncle and Maya. "They're about to show us a little more kindness." He reached down and offered Uncle a hand up. Uncle did not do anything. He was frowning. "_Well_?" Zuko said impatiently.

Uncle looked down, defeated. With a grunt, he motioned with his head for Maya to get on first. She sighed again. "I can't believe we're doing this," she muttered, grasping Zuko's hand and pulling herself up behind him. Uncle got on next. It was a tight squeeze, but there was nothing anyone could do about that. She felt bad for the ostrich-horse. It probably wasn't used to so much weight.

Silently, Zuko nudged the creature, and it walked forward into the trees, never to be seen by San or her mother again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Please, please, _please_ don't hate me for this chapter being so late in coming. I am really sorry, guys, but my inspiration for this story has almost entirely gone away and I don't have a clue how to get it back. After I finished the first book, I thought my enthusiasm would carry over to the next, but it really didn't... I don't know how to get it back and I'm afraid that if I don't get any ideas soon, I may end up having to discontinue the series. Or at least put it on hiatus for a _long_ time. I _really_ don't want that to happen. So please, if anyone could give me some tips about staying excited about this story, that would be much appreciated! Without further ado, here's chapter six. - Fira**

_Six_

Four days later, the three of them sat near the gates of a small Earth Kingdom city, leaning their backs against a tired ostrich-horse. Maya still could not think of a good name for the creature. She was tempted to name it Little Fluff Monster, after the Avatar's flying bison, but she didn't think it was fluffy enough for that. She turned to Zuko, who sat beside her.

"What do you think we should name our friend here?" she asked him, petting the creature absent-mindedly.

Zuko glanced at her, raising his eyebrow. "Why should we name it _anything_?" he retorted. "It's just an _animal_."

Maya sighed. Zuko had been in a bad mood for three days straight and it was starting to get on her nerves.

"Spare coin for weary travelers?"

Uncle's voice brought Maya out of her thoughts. The old man sat on the other side of Zuko, holding out his wide-brimmed hat to anyone who passed by. A man threw a few copper coins into the hat, where the jangled with a cheerful note against the other coins. They didn't have much yet, but with Uncle's patience, they were slowly acquiring more.

"This is _humiliating_!" Zuko said, crossing his arms. "We're royalty. These people should be giving us whatever we want!" He turned his head away from Uncle.

"Uh…" Maya said. "_I'm_ not royalty."

Zuko sighed impatiently. "You _know_ what I _meant_."

She giggled. "Settle down, Zuko. I was only teasing."

Uncle smiled at the two of them. "They _will_," he said, referring to Zuko's comment. "If you ask _nicely_."

At that moment, a pretty young lady in expensive-looking pink and purple robes walked by.

"Spare change for a _hungry old man_?" Uncle asked, putting on a pathetic face, widening his eyes and frowning.

"Aww," the girl said, tossing him a few coins. "Here you go."

"The coin is appreciated," Uncle said. He gave her a grin and said, "But not as much as your _smile_."

Zuko put his face in his hand. The girl giggled and walked past.

Two seconds later, a man with twin swords strapped to his back walked up to them. He had a cocky grin on his face, hair tied back in a stupid ponytail. Maya disliked him instantly.

"How about some entertainment," the man said, "in exchange for… a _gold piece_." He fished the coin out of his pocket and let it glint in the sunlight.

Zuko looked up, face half-shaded by his hat, arms still crossed. "We're _not_ performers," he muttered.

"Not professional, anyway," Uncle said, a smile still plastered to his face.

Maya snorted. _There could be fire raining down from the sky and locust swarms eating people and Uncle would _still_ be smiling_, she thought. But it was a good trait to have. His joy was contagious, and had kept them all from breaking down in the last few days.

Uncle stood up to do his performance, placing his hat carefully on the ground, making sure that none of the coins rolled out. Then he clasped his hands together and began to sing:

_It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se_

_But the girls in the city, they look so pretty!_

Maya laughed aloud. She looked at Zuko to see his reaction. He looked absolutely horrified, and was actually leaning back in his attempt to get away from Uncle's terrible singing. Maya thought his singing wasn't _that_ bad. It was actually sort of… charming, in a grandfatherly sort of way.

"Come on, we're talking a _gold_ piece here!" the man with the swords said. He pulled them from his back and took a ready stance.

Maya tensed and sat up, fearful of what was about to happen. Zuko also gave the man a stern look, watching him carefully.

"Dance!" the man commanded, and then he began swinging his blades at Uncle's feet so that he had to jump around to keep from getting cut.

Uncle continued the song, surprisingly:

_And they kiss so sweet that you'd really have to meet_

_The girls from Ba Sing Se!_

At this point, Maya and Zuko were both equally pissed at this guy. Zuko clutched at his knees, shaking in his anger, though Maya thought his anger was probably for a different reason. She understood that Zuko was angry because he didn't even think they deserved to be in this type of situation – begging and in poverty. Maya was angry because this stupid sword guy was being an arrogant asshole.

The man threw his head back and laughed. It was a loud, obnoxious laugh. He looked at Uncle, eyebrow raised. "Nothing like a fat man dancing for his dinner. Here ya go." He tossed the coin onto the ground and walked away, placing his twin swords back in their sheath on his back.

Uncle picked up the coin and sat down. "Such a kind man," he said.

Maya leaned over to look at Uncle from around Zuko. "Are you feeling all right, Uncle?" she asked. How could he think that guy was nice?

"Hmm?" Uncle said, looking over at her. "Oh, yes, I'm fine." He gave her a smile.

Maya shook her head, but smiled back nevertheless.

Zuko, though, continued to stare at the man angrily as he walked away.

"What are you thinking, Zuko?" she asked quietly.

He turned his head slightly to glance at her, but didn't speak. That worried Maya, but she gave it up. She knew Zuko well enough by now to know that he wouldn't tell her until he wanted to.


	7. Author's Note: On Hiatus

**Author's Note: Hey, guys. I'm really sorry, but this story is going to go on hiatus for a little while while I am working on my new story.**

**If anyone would like to check it out, go to my page and click on "Becoming Human, Becoming Alien". It is a fanfiction based on the old Cartoon Network show ****_Justice League_****. If anybody reads it, that would make me extremely happy.**

**P.S. - I know you're not really supposed to use the chapter feature like this, but I didn't know how else to tell you guys that I won't be adding anything new to this story for a while. So I'm sorry.**

**- Fira**


End file.
